In Hong Kong, one candareen is 0.3779936375 gramme[2] and, in the Weights and Measures Ordinance, it is 2⁄150oz. avoir. In Singapore, one candareen is 0.377994 grams.[3]

The name candareen comes from the Malaykandūri.[1] An earlier English form of the name was condrin.[1] The candareen was also formerly used to describe a unit of currency in imperial China equal to 10 li (釐) and is 1/10 of a mace. The Mandarin Chinese word fēn is currently used to denote 1/100th of a Chinese renminbi yuan but the term candareen for currency is now obsolete.

On 1 May 1878 the Imperial Maritime Customs was opened to the public and China's first postage stamps, the "Large Dragons" (Chinese: 大龍郵票; pinyin: dài lóng yóupiào), were issued to handle payment. The stamps were inscribed "CHINA" in both Latin and Chinese characters, and denominated in candareens.[4]